The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty
This article applies Erving Goffman’s conceptual theory of the “nonperson treatment” to the empirical reality of contingent faculty in higher education. According to Goffman, the nonperson treatment is a technique of diminishing the social status of a person, often foregoing all acknowledgement of a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Kennesaw State University
2024-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Public and Professional Sociology |
| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol16/iss2/4/ |
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| _version_ | 1849428095995478016 |
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| author | Roscoe Scarborough |
| author_facet | Roscoe Scarborough |
| author_sort | Roscoe Scarborough |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article applies Erving Goffman’s conceptual theory of the “nonperson treatment” to the empirical reality of contingent faculty in higher education. According to Goffman, the nonperson treatment is a technique of diminishing the social status of a person, often foregoing all acknowledgement of a person’s humanity beyond transactional civilities. Contingent faculty in higher education experience job insecurity, limited opportunities for advancement, low wages, insufficient benefits, a corporate style of management, curtailed academic freedom, alienation from faculty governance, ineligibility for professional development, limited schedule autonomy, invisibility on campus, and limited access to campus resources. The inequities and exclusionary practices faced by contingent faculty are a classic case of the nonperson treatment. Beyond illuminating how contingent faculty experience the nonperson treatment, this article proposes policy recommendations for making higher education more equitable. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b35cdec760914283864e3ed2dc458c13 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2154-8935 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-05-01 |
| publisher | Kennesaw State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Public and Professional Sociology |
| spelling | doaj-art-b35cdec760914283864e3ed2dc458c132025-08-20T03:28:48ZengKennesaw State UniversityJournal of Public and Professional Sociology2154-89352024-05-01162The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent FacultyRoscoe Scarborough0College of Coastal GeorgiaThis article applies Erving Goffman’s conceptual theory of the “nonperson treatment” to the empirical reality of contingent faculty in higher education. According to Goffman, the nonperson treatment is a technique of diminishing the social status of a person, often foregoing all acknowledgement of a person’s humanity beyond transactional civilities. Contingent faculty in higher education experience job insecurity, limited opportunities for advancement, low wages, insufficient benefits, a corporate style of management, curtailed academic freedom, alienation from faculty governance, ineligibility for professional development, limited schedule autonomy, invisibility on campus, and limited access to campus resources. The inequities and exclusionary practices faced by contingent faculty are a classic case of the nonperson treatment. Beyond illuminating how contingent faculty experience the nonperson treatment, this article proposes policy recommendations for making higher education more equitable.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol16/iss2/4/ |
| spellingShingle | Roscoe Scarborough The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty Journal of Public and Professional Sociology |
| title | The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty |
| title_full | The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty |
| title_fullStr | The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty |
| title_short | The Nonperson Treatment in Higher Education: The Case of Contingent Faculty |
| title_sort | nonperson treatment in higher education the case of contingent faculty |
| url | https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jpps/vol16/iss2/4/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT roscoescarborough thenonpersontreatmentinhighereducationthecaseofcontingentfaculty AT roscoescarborough nonpersontreatmentinhighereducationthecaseofcontingentfaculty |